Here at Baha’i Blog we’re passionate about Baha’i history, and so we’re super excited to share with everyone a wonderful new site called Baha’i Chronicles, which aims to document the stories of the heroes and heroines of the Baha’i Faith, both past and present.

Baha’i Chronicles (BahaiChronicles.org) is the brainchild of Neda Nassir Najibi and Vanda Marie Khadem. Three years ago, Neda Najibi had started a series on her Facebook page titled “Did You Know”, which portrayed stories about Baha’i heroes and heroines, and while researching these individuals, she realized that there wasn’t a single website which captured the heroism, struggles, victories, sacrifices, and dedication of all of the Baha’is, both past and present. The stories of Baha’i heroes and heroines had also been a constant source of strength and inspiration in Vanda’s life, and it was her dream that future generations of children have access to the Baha’i Faith’s precious global heritage. So after several phone conversations, texts, emails, brainstorming sessions, and with the unfortunate passing of Neda’s father Nassir Najibi, who was an enormous influence on her, the two of them came up with idea and launched Baha’i Chronicles in his honor.

Neda is an old friend of mine, and so I decided to catch up with her to find out more about Baha’i Chronicles: Continue reading →

There are many ways in which your faith, your belief in Baha’u’llah and His teachings, can be tested. In its most outwardly violent form, some of us are publicly persecuted, discriminated against, or pressured to recant. Some of us are tested by calamities and intense physical suffering, like the loss of a loved one, or the destruction of everything you own. For some, other people — including other Baha’is — are a test of faith. Who hasn’t experienced difficulties with someone who just “rubs you the wrong way” or whose understanding of a teaching stands in sharp contrast to your own? And we can all be a test to ourselves. I was once asked, “What do you do when there is an aspect of your religion that troubles you? What do you do then?” I mumbled through an answer but studying excerpts from the 19 April 2013 message from the Universal House of Justice has helped me think through my answer to this question more profoundly. Continue reading →

Esto es Fe (which is Spanish for “This is Faith”) is the new album from Leonor Dely & Millero Congo, a Baha’i-inspired group coming from the musically rich South American nation of Colombia.

You may have heard the music of Leonor Dely & Millero Congo in the Frontiers of Learning video in the segment about Colombia, and Esto es Fe is Leonor Dely & Millero Congo’s fifth album, which takes the listener on a spiritual journey that combines drums, vocals, native flutes and harmonies releasing the sounds of Colombia’s rich Afro-Latin heritage. The album is a continuation of four previous albums: Amame, Talisman, Ora Tambo, and Makerule – all produced by Grammy-award winning KC Porter.

I decided to catch up with Leonor Dely to find out more about her and the band, and about this wonderful new album: Continue reading →

Monika Mackenzie is the artist behind the newly released Leaves of Wisdom: A Baha’i Colouring Resource for Children (Volume 1), which contains over 100 illustrations. She’s also the illustrator behind the Facebook page Bahai Colouring Pages, where you are warmly encouraged to save, share and print what’s posted. Her work includes beautifully illustrated quotations from the Writings, or phrases like “Happy Naw Ruz”, and is a wonderful resource for parents, children’s class teachers or for programs for little ones during Holy Day celebrations, Feasts or other gatherings. Leaves of Wisdom was launched on Ridvan and I was delighted when Monika agreed to tell us a little bit about herself, her unique artwork, and her desire to share it with everyone. Continue reading →

Religions are often perceived as a means to answer questions about what happens after we die. Will it be absolute non-existence after our body’s last breath? Is there life after death at all? And if there is, will we remember our life on this earth? Do we really go to heaven or hell?

Shoghi Effendi states:

Evolution in the life of the individual starts with the formation of the human embryo and passes through various stages, and even continues after death in another form.

In order to understand better the concept of life after death and what could be meant by “another form”, it can be helpful to start by looking at the reality of the human soul. Continue reading →

As someone who’s had the opportunity to travel a whole lot over the years, I’ve had the fortune of attending a variety of different Baha’i-related gatherings around the world, and one of the things I’ve enjoyed immensely is being able to listen to songs performed by members of these various communities, who have been moved to put the Sacred Baha’i Writings to music.

I’ve always wished others could hear these songs, and so now we’ve started what we call Baha’i Blog’s “Studio Sessions” in order to share some of these beautiful compositions with the rest of the world. In this new series of videos found on our YouTube Channel, we invite individuals or groups to come into the studio to perform a song or two while we record and film it. Continue reading →

As Baha’is around the world gather to commemorate the Martyrdom of the Bab, and reflect on His intense and amazing short-lived ministry, I thought it would be useful to share with everyone a list of books which may shed some light on His life, and help us gain a better understanding of the ‘The Herald of the Faith’. Continue reading →

Laaaadies and Gentlemaaaan, Baha’i Blog is extremely excited about introducing to you all, our very own Baha’i Blog YouTube Channel! Yaaaaay! (Listen to that crowd going wild!)

On Baha’i Blog’s YouTube channel we’ll be creating a variety of original, Baha’i-inspired video content for your viewing pleasure, and we could really use your help by having you ‘SUBSCRIBE’ to our YouTube Channel as we need at least 500 subscribers to unlock certain admin privileges on YouTube. Continue reading →

The Revelation of Baha’u’llah redefines everything, including how history is charted and mapped. The sacred history of the Faith was (and will continue to be) delineated into cycles, ages, epochs and stages as explained by Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi. This conception of time is both linear and cyclical, and in this article, I’ve attempted to briefly outline how Baha’i history is charted. Continue reading →

Over 12 years ago while visiting Perth, Australia, I met an amazing young Baha’i who was singing her heart out at the Baha’i Centre of Learning there. Her name was Shameem, and even though she was only in high school at the time, it was immediately clear that this enthusiastic and talented young singer, songwriter and musician was really going places with her music!

Now on her third album, and with a bunch of awards under her belt, Shameem continues to bless the stage and the airwaves with her wonderful soulful sound.

I recently caught up with Shameem again to find out more about her and her music: Continue reading →

Baha'i Blog is a Half Light Media Project

Baha'i Blog is not an official Baha'i site and is purely an individual initiative operating as a not-for-profit entity. Any sites linked to or opinions expressed are only those of the editors of the blog and are not necessarily those of the worldwide Baha'i community. The official Baha'i website is: bahai.org.